A conservative case for normalization with Cuba

[Marcus IM]

The inhumane US extraterritorial collective punishment of the Cuban people continues ...

A conservative case for normalization with Cuba

The U.S. State Department’s list of State Sponsors of Terrorism includes four nations: Iran, Syria, North Korea and Cuba. Among them, two are identified as significant promoters of unrest and terror in the Middle East, impacting both their own citizens and others in the region. Notably, North Korea attracted international attention for the mysterious arrest of an American college student in 2016, followed by an 2017 incident in the Kuala Lumpur airport where state agents utilized a WMD-grade nerve agent to eliminate a political rival who happened to be the half-brother of Kim Jong Un.

But the inclusion of Cuba on this list prompts a critical inquiry into its justification and is emblematic of outdated foreign policy thinking among the D.C. establishment.

Nine days before President Trump left office, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put Cuba back on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Despite numerous intelligence officials scoffing at the inclusion of Cuba, President Biden has kept Havana on it.

This has had disastrous results for the Cuban people. For one thing, it puts Cuba on a list alongside international pariahs, such as Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime, and grafts a stigma of the country as inherently dangerous and belligerent. Tourists typically do not flock to state sponsors of terrorism.
As a result of the state sponsor of terrorism designation, European tourists who visit Cuba now no longer qualify for a 90-day visa waiver into the United States. This negatively impacts Cuban private businesses that cater to tourists as well as reinforcing the image of the U.S as world policeman. Hotels in Havana are now more than half empty.

More ...
https://thehill.com/opinion/4444511-a-conservative-case-for-normalization-with-cuba/

[Biophilic]

1. I've always suspected that there must be some deep, dark secret about this.

It’s just never made sense to me. It seems like we could do far better by making them our friends. And screw that group down in Miami who dream of being like their grand parents were. PS

[Marcus IM]

2. Understand that the US sanctions are designed to undermine/destroy Cuba's economy.

Then, both Dems and Repukes alike blame Cuba's gov't for creating an impoverished country - (btw, a poor nation that has pretty good universal health care and education). I see that blame the victim BS here too.

For some reason, the logic is: regular everyday Cuban have a dictatorship that causes suffering ... the US solution? ... to collectively punish regular everyday Cubans - most of whom were born after the 1959 Revolution - and cause more suffering.

How does anyone think that will "bring Cubans into the fold"? If anything, it does the opposite.

Btw, I should mention that I am a Cuban-American in Miami - and we don't all think alike ... as usual, the ultra right wingnuts get the media's attention, and real news of what is going on in Cuba is essentially blacked-out.

[Biophilic]

3. Thanks for your reply.

Sometimes, well most of the time, simplistic answers are not good. I have been frustrated by our relations with Cuba since the 70s. Just never made sense. Glad to know there are some more than responsible Cuban-Americans in Miami. Yeah, I pretty much did the paint ever one with the same brush. Sorry and thanks again for your reply.

[Marcus IM]

4. Hey... don't be sorry. I really appreciate that you are interested.

Quite often, all I get in response is retrograde Cold War era BS and information from 3rd party sources that haven't been to/in Cuba.

I go often. It's not the human rights hellhole that US propaganda depicts. Cuba is poor, but, it's mostly due to our aforementioned topic - the sanctions.

I hope you'll subscribe to this LatAm forum. It's full of great information that's not covered in US media.

Looking forward to seeing you around.

[Biophilic]

5. Done. Thanks for pushing the LatAm forum.

I’ve sort of been meaning to…mainly because I’m appalled at my lack of knowledge about it. Time to spend some of my retirement time usefully.

[Judi Lynn]

6. What a surprise to see this in the Hill publication, Marcus IM! Very interesting!

Never would have imagined the Hill could be tempted to take such a "shocking" position on Cuba!

It has always been the rabid, criminally insane radical right driving and sustaining the belief the US should re-seize control of Cuba, put a puppet back in charge, and get them back to work, looking out for US military and financial interests, under direct control of Washington, D.C., just like a good colony should.

[Marcus IM]

7. Indeed it is a shocker. But ...

... as those of us who pay attention know, the inhumane US sanctions that harm everyday struggling Cubans has always been a bipartisan undertaking.

Conversely, the efforts to end the sanctions has been bipartisan also - but without the same virulent hateful BS as the anti-Cuba crowd project - many red state and blue state governors seek trade relations with Cuba to freely sell their agricultural products.

The rabid wing nuts you mention, sadly, are representatives within both parties.